Sathya Sai Baba movement
Official logo
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| Formation | 1953 |
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| Headquarters | India |
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Chairman
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Michael Goldstein |
| Website | sathyasai.org |
The Sathya Sai Baba movement is inspired by South Indian Hindu guru Sathya Sai Baba who taught the unity of all religions. Some of his followers have faith in his claim to be a purna Avatar (full divine incarnation) of Shiva and Shakti, who is believed to have been predicted in the Bhagavad Gita. This means that some of his followers see him as a God. Devotees engage in singing devotional songs called "bhajans" and selfless service (seva). Its official organization is the Sathya Sai Organization. However the Sathya Sai Baba movement extends beyond the organization. An important aspect of the faith of adherents is the miracles attributed to Sathya Sai Baba. The number of adherents is estimated between 6 and 100 million.
The official biography of Sathya Sai Baba was written by Narayana Kasturi. Additional sources for the official life story are Sathya Sai Baba's discourses.
Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23 November 1926. His birth name was Sathyanarayana Raju. Sathya (as Sai Baba referred to himself in those days) "was known to be very lively," and composed many plays, poems and songs for school and friends. He also taught the local children and villagers how to read and write. "He was called by the neighbors Brahmajnani, a "Realized Soul."" In sixth standard, Sathya left Puttaparthi to live with his elder brother, Seshama and his wife in . About a year later, "holidays came and Seshama Raju took Sathya to Hampi." A municipal chairman witnessed Sathya being both inside a Siva temple and outside (looking after his brothers luggage) simultaneously. Afterwards, he presented the boy with "a collar pin made of gold." During a discourse in 2000, Sathya Sai Baba related the events that transpired a few days after, "He (Sathya) left the house and went about ten feet when the collar pin fell and could not be found... The collar pin symbolised worldly attachment, and when it was lost, it was symbolic of the end of the ‘Raju phase’ and attachments implied by it. Declaring that He had no worldly relationship with anyone, he ran to the house of one Anjaneyulu... In front of his house there was a small rock. Swami (Sathya Sai Baba) went and sat on that stone."
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Wikipedia